Essex-Windsor EMS has been approved to donate surplus ambulances to the St. Clair College Paramedic Program.
During Wednesday's County Council meeting, a report was presented to council to approve that St. Clair receive one ambulance in 2023, and one ambulance in 2024.
The Paramedic program at the college is a two-year program, and Essex-Windsor EMS has worked closely with St. Clair on strategies to help increase student intake.
Typically intake for the program is roughly 30 students, however, the St. Clair College Windsor Campus has increased its intake to 60 students which will help with future recruitment.
Justin Lammers, Deputy Chief of Essex-Windsor EMS, says they're happy to see the increase in student intake.
"Through the current climate with paramedic recruitment, we work closely with St. Clair College on strategies to bolster paramedic student intake and successful graduation. We're happy to say that we were notified earlier this year that St. Clair College Windsor Campus will increase its intake to 60 students."
He says donating ambulances helps the program in many ways.
t should be noted that the college received a surplus ambulance in 2018 and 2019 and these are actually the ambulances that allowed St. Clair College to modify their curriculum during COVID-19, and to be part of one of the only colleges to have graduated paramedic students on time in the Province of Ontario, which we benefited directly here."
Lammers adds that the donation also helps automotive programs by allowing students to keep up on the maintenance and repair of ambulances.
"The donation of the surplus ambulance benefits not only the future paramedics, but benefits other programs such as St. Clair College's Automotive Powertrain Program."
Historically, over the past four years, St. Clair College paramedic graduates are the majority of new employees during recruitment cycles for Essex-Windsor EMS.
Essex-Windsor EMS will either trade-in or sell the other surplus ambulances they have, but in the past they have donated their surplus ambulances to Hospice of Windsor and Essex County, and to other countries including Jamaica and Haiti.